Sink-stopple.



M. S. HUFSGHMIDT.

SINK STOPPLB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1909.

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MILTON" S. HUFSCHMIDT, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

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SINK-STOPPLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 28, 31.9 16.

Application filed November 16, 1909. Serial No. 528,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON S. HUF- SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sink Stopples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for temporarily sealing the waste outlet of a kitchen sink for the purpose of converting the sink into a wash tray in which dishes and other articles may be washed. Devices for that purpose as now provided are held in place over the sink outlet by the pressure of the atmosphere, being so formed or produced that by virtue of their elastic quality and flexibility they will be pressed against the strainer, with the eiiect to expel the air from beneath and thereby seat the device'closely upon the strainer with which a sink outlet is generally provided.

The object of the present invention is chiefly to provide a sink stopple, or device for temporarily sealing the waste outlet of a sink, that will fit and act on strainer plates or waste outlet guards of the difierent kinds or styles now in use, and especially with equal eiiectiveness upon a convex or rounded strainer that stands above the bottom of the sink, and upon one of the concave or depressed style in which the perforated plate composing the strainer is sunk below the level of the surface at the waste outlet; the stopple or device of my invention being so formed orconstructed that it can be used and will act equally effectively on strainers of either of the types or styles above mentioned, without requiring special adjustment or change to adapt it to either character of outlet strainer.

A sink stopple of myrinvention consists of the novel parts or members formed and arranged as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the device ohmy invention applied to a sinkoutlet having a convex or standing strainer also to-one having a'concave or sunken strainer.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional-view of the part of the bottom of a sink at the waste outlet having a convex strainer, with a sinkstopplc of my invention in position closing the outlet. Fig. 2 is a sin'iilar sectional View of a sink outlet having a depressed strainer,

with the stopple in position. Fig. 3 is a topview of the device. Fig. 4: is transverse section takendiametrically through Fig. 3.

The improved stopple of ray-invention comprises a generally flat disk preferably formed of rubber by molding and vulcanizing in the usual manner of producing similar articles of rubber, but also peculiarly formed of varying thickness at difi'ercnt parts so as to produce a central pad a. of circular contour, a relatively inflexible annular stifi'ening' plate I) surrounding the cen' tral pad and from which it is separated by a relatively thin and more flexible hinge like portion 0, and a thin rim or marginal portion at on the marginal edge of the part I) having greater flexibility than that part. The parts ab-c0l comprising the stopple are integral, being readily formed by giving the upper and lower faces of the disk the proper contour to produce the central,

pad and the annularplate, and the inter mediate hinge-like portion joining those parts of sufficiently less thickness to secure the necessary movement of those parts whereby the central pad can be elevated above the plane of the surrounding stiii portion 0, or depressed below that plane, according as the device is v concave strainer. The rubber'is therefore reduced in thickness over the parts al) at the parts 0 to secure suliicient expansibilit-y or distension in the web or intermediate portion; whereas the parts joined b y the web are given only such de ree of elasticity or flexibility as will allow them to accommodate themselves to any irregularity or inequality in the contour or the plane of the surfaces a ainst which they are pressed.

B virtue of this construction the central pad, which is of suitable size to cover the perforated portion of the strainer, will conform to the shape and lie against that part, whether the latter stand above the surface on which the stiff marginal part of the disk rests, or whether. the strainer be depressed to a greater or less extent below the plane of the sink bottom; resulting in the effective displacement of the airbcneath when pressure of the hand is applied to the disk, and a close fitting of the device upon the strainer as long as it is left'undisturbed. The disk thus formed is provided further with a thin rnn don the outer or marginal edge of the thick annular member which is integral with that part of the disk, being united or oined placed on aconvex or aportion f of less thickness or of such greater flexibility than either the rinrportion d or the part b that the rim being more flexible at its junction With the thicker body Will bend and accommodate itself more closely to the change and variation in the surface and thus insure a tight joint all around the edge of the'stopple. The thin part 03 forming the thereto by a Web or intermediate r1m is vpreferably reduced in thickness at its unction. with the body of the disk, as seen at f.

v For greater convenience of handling the stopple of my invention it is usually 'provided with a'lug g on the top side, in which.

a ring or loop can be fixed to serve for a handle, the same loosely fitting an eye in the lug, and bein arran ed to turn in the lug so as to lie at on the top of the disk when not used.

A stopple'of, this character will fit different kmdsor styles of sink outlets, and is especially adapted by its form or construction to cover and close either a convex or a concave or depressed strainer with equal facility, sealing the outlet and retaining the water in the sink until the stopple is loosened by admitting the air beneath it.

By holding down the stopple around the rim while the pad or centralportion a is moved quickly up and down, the device can be operated to advantage like a suction pump, to dislodge or start an the waste below and thus clean the pipe.

A sink-stopple comprising a rubber disk having a concentrically arranged and thin annular portion alternating with a central portion and a marginal portion of less elasticity, and tothe said marginal portion ofthe body by a web.

MILTON S. HUFSCHMIDT. Witnesses:

EDWARD E.

OSBORN, M. REGNER.

obstruction in a relatively thin rim united 

